I'm going to say it. I LOVE Christmas!
I love all the build up and anticipation as it gets closer to the big day. The excitement of the build up and also how excited the kids get too. I love seeing all the decorations and Christmas lights and also hearing Christmas songs on the radio and festive carols playing. It's a lovely opportunity to spend time with family and friends and enjoy being with the ones we love. Even the Christmas edition of the Radio Times is somewhat magical in its own right.
It therefore seems somewhat backwards that I also love the Grinch. This particular Mr Grumpy ... read more

With everything that's gone on over the last few months there are a few things in live that have had to slip. One of those has been the time I've had to spend crafting. In many ways crafting (along with running) is my therapy. It keeps my head in the right place when the rest of life is manic and it's certainly been manic of late. Over the years I have written many times on this blog about losing, and then re-finding, my crafting mojo, but this time it's different. I've wanted to craft. Desperately so at times. But there just aren't enough hours in the day and the kids, keeping a roof over our ... read more

Since moving house my sewing machine hasn't been out anywhere near enough. I have so many projects that I keep meaning to complete, but as usual there just aren't enough hours in the day. Or enough space on the singe table that we have in our living room. I know that it's only a matter of time though, and then I'll finally be able to crack own with some of the things I want to make. There must be patterns that I bought over a year ago that I haven't even made a start on yet. And the less said about the cot bed quilt that I started a lifetime ago the better.
When Little Miss C first came ... read more

Do you know how satisfying it is to actually finish a project? I managed to go to my regular knitting group this morning and it was such a lovely feeling to proudly stand up and do my bit of show and tell with my Spice of Life blanket. This is probably one of the biggest projects that I've ever finished (yes the Attic 24 Ripple is still in progress - my latest aim is to get it done by Christmas!) and I'm really pleased with how it has turned out.
The finished result is gorgeous and whilst the first set of shells are a bit pulled in at the edges (I'll call that my learning curve - I went ... read more

Can you tell that the crochet is completely taking over my life at the moment? If you follow me on Instagram it's probably pretty obvious. It seems that every spare minute is spent with a hook in my hand these days and I'm loving it!
I'm onto the final stretch of the main body of the Spice of Life CAL now and I'm already starting to feel a bit sad about the fact that it will be all over soon. The pattern has you repeating the first half of the blanket in different colours for the second half, so there are no more new stitches to learn, but instead it's great practice of what you have ... read more

I'm still struggling a bit with this new rhythm that my week day life needs to fall into. It doesn't seem to be coming naturally at all, but I'm hopeful that a fit of being organised this Monday is starting to send things more in the right direction.
I'm squeezing in crafty moments whenever I can, but again more organisation is needed to maximise these better. There have been a couple of busy weeks here with one things and another socially so hopefully now things are getting quieter more evenings with a crochet hook or a needle and thread can take place - after all what else were chilly ... read more

I do love writing these posts where I try and keep track of what crafting I've been doing as it can be so easy to forget. Even just week to week. Maybe it's a sign of getting old.
It goes without saying that the crochet ripple blanket is growing and growing, but in all this heat I have discovered that sitting down and doing it is getting harder and harder, especially during the daytime. What is completely impossible though is taking it with me to swimming lessons. Sat up high in the viewing gallery is hot enough anyway, but with a huge crochet blanket on your knee it's pretty ... read more

Earlier in the year I treated myself to a sewing alterations course with the lovely Emma from Oh Sew Vintage. Emma makes amazing reproduction vintage dresses and I was luck enough to get to know her through our local WI branch, the Herts Belles, where she is our very efficient secretary. For me, the aim of the course was to learn how I could alter some of the amazing clothes that I find in charity shops that just aren't the right size.
When I get a moment I will blog about the course itself and what I learnt, but I'm delighted to say that what I did learn that day has given me the ... read more

This week I've discovered that it's really hard to run a blog when you end up with splitting headaches due to being given a pair of contact lenses that are the wrong prescription! No wonder I was getting lots of pain every time I sat down at my laptop. Still - problem now solved thanks to the lovely lady in the local Boots Opticians and hopefully I can now go full steam ahead again.
It's been a couple of weeks since my last crafty update here, and they've actually been a really busy couple of weeks of crafting.
To start with I went off to the wonderful BritMums live - a huge blogging ... read more

Where oh where have the last few weeks vanished to? And possibly more importantly, where oh where has the last My Week in Crafts post banished to???
Over the last month I have been crazily busy with work and a million and one other things. Little Miss C has had a birthday - and I've had to organise a party for 31 children, which was made somewhat harder when the soft play centre hat we had booked cancelled on us due to a flood! There seem to have been loads of school meetings of one sort or another, plus a school summer fair, which as tradition dictates took place in the rain. My mum has ... read more